Although there maybe various approach to semantics, three have been terms have been widely mentioned in each of these approach, namely meaning,
sense and reference.
2.2.1. Meaning
According to Advanced English learner’s Dictionary, meaning is defined as the thing or idea that a sound, word, sign, etc, represents. The term meaning is
simply derived from the word “mean”. In the same browser this word may be used to mean;
Mean or intend to express or to convey Have as a logical consequence
Denote or connote Have in mind as a purpose
Have a specified degree of importance Think of, have in mind, mean
Destine or designate for certain purpose While in everyday English we used this term in a number of different ways
as in the following; That was no mean insignificant accomplishment
They are so mean cruel to me This will mean result in the end of the second class citizenship
Without ice cream, life would not mean anything have any purpose
I mean intend to help if I can Keep off the grass, this means refers to you
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His losing his job means implies that he will have to look for another job
Lucky strikes means indicates fine tobacco Those clouds mean are a sign of rain
She does not mean believe what she said Procrastinate means ? “to put things off”
In saying that, he meant ? that we would leave. Except for the last two sentences, we can see that each of the uses of the
word mean has a paraphrase using words other than the word mean. In other words, the word mean in a to j has their equivalence in another word, while the
same word in k to i does not. The last two sentences, in fact exemplify two importantly different sorts of meaning, i.e. linguistics meaning, and speaker
meaning. In k procrastinate has a linguistics meaning of to put things off, while in i meant refers to speaker’s intention or what message the speaker intend to
say in his words. In general, the linguistic meaning of an expression is simply the meaning
or meanings of that expression in some of language. For example, in one form of language known as Standard English, the word run could have different meaning
in each of these sentences;
I like to run
The engines run well
They run a mail order house
He scored a run in the third inning
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On the other hand, speaker meaning is what a speaker means in producing an utterance. In saying, you are clever, the speaker may mean ‘you are bright
intelligent’ because the word clever means bright mentally, have intelligence in English or he may mean the opposite of what the word means, i.e. ‘you are
stupid’. In using the language, a speaker may sometimes use a word to mean
something different from what it means as the following quotation can show us;
“There’s glory for you” Humpty Dumpty said. “I don’t know what you mean by ‘glory’ “Alice said.
Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. “Of course you don’t – till I tell you. I meant ‘there’s a nice knock down argument for
you” “But ‘glory’ doesn’t meant ‘a nice knock-down argument,” Alice
said. “When I use a word, “Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful
tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean neither more less.” “The question is, “said Alice, “whether you can make words mean
so many different things”. Lewis
Carroll, 1965
Is Alice right? Yes, she is quite right. Of course, we cannot make words mean what they do not mean. In other words, we cannot change the meaning of
the words into the one that we like. If we wish to redefine the meaning of each word as we use it we are free to do so, but this would be an artificial, clumsy use
of language, and most people would not wait around to talk with us. A new word may be created, bit it enters the language with its sound-meaning relationship
already determined. Although we are supposed not to make a word means what it does not
mean, we sometimes mean something different from what our words mean linguistically. In other words, we sometimes speak non-literally. Thus if we are
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speaking non-literally, then of course we will mean something different from the linguistics meaning of our word. If we are speaking literally, then we mean what
our words mean. If a speaker always speaks literally and means what exactly the words
mean, there will be no important difference between the linguistic meaning and the speaker meaning. However, a speaker sometimes speaks literally, therefore, he
means what the word mean; and sometimes speaks non-literally, therefore, he means something different from what the word means.
In the case of non-literal meaning, there are number of different ways one can speak non-literally, i.e. facetious way ironical, sarcastically, exaggerated,
figurative ways. One can speak facetiously ironically, sarcastically and thereby mean the opposite of what one says. For example, when a student comes at nine
o’clock, while the class is started at eight, the teacher may say, “you come too early”. In saying that, of course the teacher does not really mean that, rather the
teacher want to say that it’s too late now, and do not enter the class. One can exaggerate with his words. In the right circumstances one can
utter she is ten feet tall and mean that she is very tall. One can also speak figuratively by using metaphor or other type of figurative language. Saying that
someone has raven hair, ruby lips, emerald eyes, and teeth of pearl normally not commit one to meaning that this person is some sort of inorganic monster; rather
one would be taken and intend to be taken as speaking metaphorically. An expression can mean something in one dialect of English that it does
not mean in another language. The matter is further complicated in that an expression can mean different things to different people within the same dialect.
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The version of the language that a particular person speaks is sometimes called that person’s idiolect and the idiolect meaning of a word can differ from one
person to another. The following list of words can show us how several words can have
different meaning in various dialects. Dope mean ‘cola’ in some part of the south USA
Pocket book means ‘purse’ in Boston and in that part of south Fetch up means ‘raise’children in the south USA
Pavement means ‘sidewalk’ in eastern Pennsylvania and in England.
Bubbler means ‘water fountain’ in Wisconsin. Knock up means ‘phone up’ in Scotland and ‘wake up’ in England.
Although an expression can mean something different in a dialect or idiolect, one cannot tell from looking just at grammar whether it is a grammar
describing one person’s idiolect, a group’s dialect, or the language in general, because the same kinds of fact are present in each case.
2.2.2. Sense and Reference
